


Sanctum Lane

by zenkitty555



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Domestic, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Neighbors, No character bashing, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-16 00:17:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15424806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenkitty555/pseuds/zenkitty555
Summary: Wong can’t help but notice the neighborhood seems to be going down in quality ever since Stephen Strange moved in.Aka a little Worange AU.





	Sanctum Lane

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little thing that I've been working on between chapters of my recent Strordo fic. Hope it pleases.

Wong watched as the car pulled out of the drive at a quicker speed than normal. Having gone out to water the plants at the front of the house like he did every three days, he had no idea he would be treated to a show. It wasn’t comfortable to watch to be honest, so he kept his head down. He had a problem with the one neighbor since he always seemed to be walking around in the backyard without any clothes or only in a speedo when it got hot the last summer. Although there was a fence, they both knew Wong could see over it from the kitchen. It caused him to complain to the man’s partner -a soft spoken, but intense man named Karl Mordo. Mordo had been a fine, sensible man, apologizing after each incident.

Still, Stephen Strange didn’t really deserved to be yelled at in the middle of the driveway like that, with their roast in the yard, covered in grass clippings they never seemed to rake up. The meat didn’t deserve it either; it looked like a good cut even from the distance Wong was at. It was a shame really what people did in the heat of the moment.

He tutted to himself as he turned to go back inside. He’d ignore what had happened and that would be it. Maybe,  he would get lucky and Strange would move away, given that the man probably didn’t make enough money by himself to support the rent. As far as he knew, the man spent a lot of time at home doing house chores, and he did not seem to have his life together as well as his partner did. The few times they had interacted, he gave Wong the impression that he was an arrogant jerk, trying to charm Wong into letting him occasionally use his barbecue. Wong shot him down, and that summer it was left untouched. It was better to hold to principal then succumb to Strange’s request that, by the way he spoke, he assumed Wong would approve.

The neighborhood they lived in wasn’t in an expensive part of town, but these days even Wong had a few months where he had to cut down on his expenses to make the ever rising rent. That was even with his full time job as the head librarian at the local university.

Wong let himself take a small bit of pleasure in the thought that Strange may be gone in the coming months. He couldn’t help himself, peaking out the window to see if Strange was there. Strange was still out there, standing and rubbing at his temples while looking down at the roast.

Thinking back on it, it was an odd thing, as the argument on the surface seemed to be about the meat, but there must have been something else going on. No one left because a ruined roast.

Wong watched Strange put his head in his hands for a few moments before going back inside, and he frowned looking at the scene. He didn’t like Strange, and Mordo had been okay, but they both seemed quite dramatic. Once they ate together at a different neighbor’s potluck. The dinner had been amicable, but Strange had spent a good chunk of the evening by himself or with Mordo, absentmindedly unsociable to the point where everyone took notice.

There had been a lot of gossip after that day.

Closing the curtains, Wong went to go make himself a sandwich. Much to his dismay, he couldn’t shake feelings of pity for his neighbor. The scene kept replaying in his mind throughout the evening. However by the night, he managed to turn his attention to more pressing matters: that night's new episode of his favorite show. The drama of the pot roast and his neighbors easily forgotten after that point.

 

.oOo.

 

It was just an embarrassment looking over at Strange’s yard. Somehow he hadn’t moved out, but now he wasn’t home enough to take care of his small patch of lawn in the front and the absolute jungle of a yard in the back. He hated looking at it every time he walked out of his door or stood there doing the dishes. How Strange managed to function looking at that was beyond him, and the other neighbors were starting to talk.

He was making the whole neighborhood look bad with how unkempt it appeared. Even if they were renters, they still wanted to take pride in the order and safety of their little section of town. The last time the man mowed the lawn must have been months ago, if at all during the summer. All Wong could think of in response was that that would not do.

Wracking his brain, he paused remembering that the last time the lawn had been cut was when Mordo was still there. He had seen Mordo out there with the push mower, and it was then he realized that Stephen’s injury was most likely the number one reason he didn’t cut his law. The amount of strength it would take him with his hands like that, it would be a difficult task. It could have been done with his forearms, but not easy to turn or do the corners. What would take anyone an hour or two would most likely take him most of the day.

Still, he could have hired someone. But then Wong began to think about how Strange was probably not around that much at the house in order to pay for the place. Wong hated the feelings that stirred within him when he thought about it deeper, and he gave a heavy sigh as he decided what to do about it. He could either do the front himself the next time he was out there, or he could give Strange the money. Knowing how sensitive others were about money, he decided that he’d take care off it himself when he was doing his own patch next time.

That’s what he did, and he did it quietly, without informing Strange beforehand. The less interaction the better. He didn’t need Strange getting offended or worse: irritatingly nosy or thinking that he and Wong were friends. They were most definitely not friends, so he decided anonymously and with some stealth would be the best way to take care of the problem.

After it was finished, he felt better, the neighborhood looked cleaner, and no one was the wiser. The backyard would still be an eyesore, but he closed his curtains to solve that problem. It was much like he used to do when Strange would sunbathe nude. Only, this was a greater assault to his senses. At least the sunbathing nude was not an eyesore; it only made him feel like an unwilling peeping tom.

Over the summer, Wong continue to do this without comment or incident. He managed to avoid Strange until the season started to change. Then in the fall, Strange actually raked up the leaves little by little, taking breaks as he did so. His routine took place over the course of a few days on the weekend and weeknights, and was repeated after two weeks. Wong watched him for a minute or two, peeking from the curtains, and felt his annoyance at Strange slowly dissipate. He seemed more willing to try.

Before winter hit, Wong had been curious as to how Strange would handle it. The first winter in New York for Wong had been quite a shocker with how cold it got and how much snow there could be, even if there wasn’t as much in the past few years, but by this point he was used to it.

One night, they were hit by their first nor'easter of the season. It had become second nature for him to go out and shovel little by little every few hours as not to be stuck with heavy amounts of snow the next morning. After the first round, he realized that Strange would probably struggle if he didn’t start now, but clearly the man wasn’t home. There were no lights on inside the house, and it was much too early for bed.

He sighed and asked himself why he was even doing it. Even though he told himself it was for the appearance of the neighborhood, he knew it was more out of pity than anything.

What he had not expected was Strange coming back in the middle of doing it -a silly assumption- walking up to the drive. Wong knew it was late and he didn’t own a car, instead taking the bus. The stop was quite a walk away, so by this point, he was covered in snow and clearly not dressed for the amount that was coming down, Strange stopped for a moment when he recognized Wong in the driveway, clearing a walking path to the front door.

“You don’t need to do that,” the man called.

Wong stood up from the position he was in and leaned against the shovel.

“I was outside, and it’s only a line to the door. I’m not about to do the whole thing.”

As Strange approached, he looked a little embarrassed and unnerved by seeing Wong there. Wong could understand that, but he continued to ignore his neighbor, shoveling until he reached the door. When he finished, he picked up the shovel and turned to make his way back, only Strange was standing right behind him.

“Let me at least give you some coffee or tea or something warm,” he mumbled.

For a moment he was about to refuse, but then shut his mouth as he followed Strange inside, both of them taking off their wet footwear as they did so. The inside was pretty nicely furnished in a modern, minimalistic way. It really didn’t match the older 60’s exterior at all and it was much nicer than Wong’s own place in some ways. It must have been redone recently.

He had heard rumors about Strange and Mordo a long time ago. Someone, maybe Daniel or Tina, told him Karl Mordo was a rich Baron from Europe. It didn’t make sense that a Baron would live on their street, but now he thought there might have been a bit of truth to it. Although he couldn't have been as rich as they said; that just didn't make any sense.

“Coffee?”

“No, I’ll take the tea. Milk tea?”

“Green.”

“Fine.”

He prefered milk tea, as the green tea Americans drank tended to be garbage.

As Strange put on a kettle, he sat down at the table in the kitchen. The apartment was fairly clean, with only a laptop out. There was nothing sentimental. No pictures, no extravagant decorative elements, nothing to look at except for a piece of paper on the refrigerator with a phone number on it and a label: the good pizza place. Wong smirked knowing exactly what place he was referring to. Really there was only one good place that would deliver to the area.

It crossed his mind for the first time that maybe they weren’t so different.

After a minute or two, Strange laid the kettle between the two as he sat down.

“You don’t want honey or something, do you?”

Wong gave him a look of disgust and Strange smiled weakly.

“Just checking. Karl liked it sweet.”

He didn’t respond, and he could feel the air tense between them.

“You were the one cutting my grass in summer weren’t you?”

He didn’t answer. Frankly, he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, and he didn’t understand why Strange would bring it up. Clearly, he was uncomfortable with even thinking about it. Sometimes Wong didn’t understand why others always pressed these point. Neither of them would get anything out of it.

“I can give you some money if you like,” Strange said as he made to get up.

“No. Don’t do that. I was just sick of hearing old lady Jones complain about your lawn for the fiftieth time that week.”

“Oh. Well, I’ll get someone to do it next summer. I wasn’t in the best place mentally or financially this last summer. And I guess I should say thank you. Wish I could do more.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said.

Wong didn’t really know why he came inside with their conversation dying down after he said his peace. His eyes traveled around the room avoiding the other man sitting across from him. He continued to sip on his tea as quickly as he could without burning his mouth. When he turned his head back to look at his host, the man had a weak smile upon his face.

“You’ll have to come over for dinner sometimes,” Strange said.

“Your guilt does no one any good. Thank you for the tea, but I think it’s best if I go,” Wong said getting up.

It was short and sweet, but a better choice than trying to make something more of this than what it was. Wong knew that he was a harder individual than most, as he didn’t really see the point in faking concern where there was none. At the same time, he couldn’t completely feel nothing when Strange looked at him with a slight hurt in his eyes.

He sighed in response.

“I’ve had a long day, and should get up early in the morning to clear out the drive again. Don’t worry about it. It’s all in the past anyways.”

Strange nodded as they headed for the door. Wong left, feeling tired but satisfied. Internally, his heart came around to be fine with his irritating neighbor, and it felt like progress.

 

.oOo.

 

He contemplated the invitation to Stephen’s house for a great while. The morning after he had tea with Stephen, he was outside in the driveway face to face with Stephen trying to prove that he wasn’t going to back down from a challenge. They worked together, even if Stephen worked at a slower pace, pushing the snow around more than shoveling. Wong was actually thankful for his help. Even if he didn’t do the heavy lifting, it did shorten the time it took. He could tell Stephen felt similarly as he once again extended an invitation to come around for dinner. Once again, he declined.

After that morning, they would make small talk when they saw each other, and Wong started to wonder if they could actually hold a conversation over a a meal. It worried him; it didn’t seem like they had a lot in common. Their backgrounds and ways they conducted themselves were very different. In addition, he could tell they both did not want to uncover skeletons in closets by over-sharing.

Eventually, he decided to accept feeling that Stephen was someone he could eventually come to like. Although Wong was occasionally social, he was more introverted than others on the block. He like the quite and the ability to rest without dealing with too many human beings. It was one reason he had been drawn to work in the library. Those he did work with had been thankfully good people with similar passions and often filled his quota for social interactions.

He tried not to dress up or dress down for the dinner they would have, putting much more thought into it than he normally would. Oddly, it felt like a blind date in some ways. The goal of the evening was to see if he would add a friend into his mental rolodex of names, vetting Stephen.

Looking in the mirror one last time, it was getting to be ridiculous for him. He quickly looked away, satisfied with looking presentable, but not fancy. The response he received when he did get to Stephen’s affirmed his assumption as Stephen greeted him in the same way he normally did. Relaxed and lacking fanfare, he showed Wong into his living room, and Wong sat down. Stephen came in with a pitcher of something red and cool looking, half filled as not to spill it. Wong hope it had a bit of a kick to it before putting it to his lips. It was a Sangria of sorts, thankfully with less juice than wine.

“One minute, I gotta finish some things,” Stephen said, excusing himself.

Wong decided to check his email on his phone until he heard a crash followed by a very loud “ _Damn it_!”

He got up to see what Stephen had been doing, finding some sort of Paella like rice dish spilled over the floor. For a brief moment, Wong was grateful he was spared from eating it. He wasn’t too picky with what he ate, but the color looked off to him. His neighbor look at him with a sheepish expression.

“I’m not used to cooking for more than one. Even before my ex left, I didn’t cook much.”

“Yea, I could tell with the roast on the lawn and the way he yelled something about your sense of timing,” Wong remarked on accident.

Stephen looked confused for a moment and then laughed at the memory, surprising Wong.

“Yea, well he was a bit too inflexible towards the end. We were originally roommates, you know. Then it became something more,” Stephen stated.

He would have continued had Wong not put up his hand to stop him. He didn't need to know the details. Anyone could have seen that one gave more and one took more, and that was never a good combination. Plus, he didn’t care. Best to stop Stephen there.

As Stephen cleaned the floor, Wong sighed and began to poke around the fridge. It didn’t look as bare as he thought it would be, but his eyes went back to the paper under the magnet on the door of the refrigerator.

“Forget about it. Here,” Wong said, pulling it off and handing it to Stephen.

“I wanted to say thank you with a little more thought,” He said with some hesitancy.

“The best laid plans of mice and men.”

Stephen gave a weak smile, and for a moment Wong felt a funny little feeling he had not expected to feel towards someone who he took quite pains to avoid for so long. He smiled a little in return.

Wong didn’t open up easily; not because he was scared to, but because it took a lot of effort with little pay off. Things would happen naturally, if they did happen at all. He didn’t understand how some needed to force it.

Going back into the living room and sitting down, he listen to Stephen order the pizza from the next room, thankful that he didn’t order anything too weird. Although Sangria was probably not the best with pizza, he was a bit more satisfied than he had expected to be.

When Stephen sat down next to him, pouring himself a drink, he sighed.

“You’re kind of hard to impress.”

“I’m easy to please, though. Just don’t act like an idiot, and I’ll be fine,” he half-joked.

Stephen laughed in response, and for once they settled into an ease with one another that didn't feel as artificial as before.

As they waited, it may have been the alcohol, or it may have been the ease they felt with just kicking their feet up, but their conversation flowed a bit better; learning little things about one another. Even though Wong had said he didn’t care about Stephen’s romantic history, they did accidentally wind up talking about Stephen’s former partner. It turned out that Karl and Wong had worked at the same university, and Wong had known him indirectly. There had been a huge scandal involving the department Karl had worked for that everyone at the university heard about. Stephen gave him a lot of inside information about how he had accidentally uncovered all of it after an informal dinner involving the staff and their families. He told him that that dinner had caused the fall of Stephen's relationship with Karl Mordo. Wong tried not to look too interested in the story, but he couldn’t help it. It was just too good, like something from a long running tv show. The longer it got, the weirder it became.

By the time they got the pizza and ate, they fell into a relaxed banter sprinkled with sarcasm, like they were old friends. Stephen seemed to not take some of his more biting comments to heart, making him feel more at ease than he was with most people.

When the night ended, he went across the driveway back to his house humming out of happiness. He decided that evening that Stephen Strange was someone good for him. Wong also thought that they would have to get together more often, and resolved to initiate his wish to do so the next day.

The first month they would hang out on Friday nights, often getting take out or cooking something simple. Then it became twice a week, and before he knew it it was nearly every day. At first Wong made the excuse that he was tired of cooking just for himself, and clearly Stephen did not know how to even cook a simple paella -absolutely hopeless.

It was there in the kitchen, with Stephen leaning over his shoulder to watch what he was doing, that it happened. Slowly, his feelings started to change, but he had not be able to fathom that Stephen may have been feeling the same way. So it had come as a surprised as Stephen rested his head upon Wong’s shoulder for a fraction of a moment, causing Wong to look over. Then, ever so slyly, Stephen’s lips pressed against his, making Wong forget about the bits of tomato and the knife in his fingers.

It blossomed into something more after that initial hesitation; Wong gently asking permission for more, and Stephen readily agreeing. Somehow in the heat of the moment, Stephen managed to wriggle in front of Wong, placing in himself between Wong and the countertop. Wong pinned him there with more aggression that he normally would any other partner. Both of them rid themselves of their pent up emotional loneliness before that day, and now, it was just the physical loneliness they needed to shed.

For a good while there was no time to stop to think about what they were doing. Stephen tasted so lovely, keeping him on his toes with the little moments that he made to pull away only to kiss Wong with a little bit deeper and with a little more fervor.

When they finally did pull apart, it was to look at one another, wearing a slightly stunned, matching expression. Clearly Stephen had not expected it at well, and immediately fear gripped Wong’s heart wondering if it had been a mistake. He worried it was a case of familiarity breeding feelings that may not actually be there. It was a possibility, as it had been a long time since he had been attracted to someone in more than bouts of lust. This was not that, but he could not help but question it. Stephen was not normally his type, and he knew he was not the type for many.

He pulled himself away from Stephen, regaining control and taking a breath. When Stephen backed away from the counter, he turned a little, and Wong saw that he had come up against the tomato. The juices stained his light grey t-shirt and light blue jeans he was wearing.

Awkwardly, Stephen excused himself, and Wong wondered if he should slip out or not. It was best to take some time and digest the situation. He sat on the sofa knowing that it would be shitty to just leave without an explanation. But it’s not like Stephen wouldn't know where he went, it would be a pretty easy guess.

Stephen came back down in a new shirt and some sweat pants, running a hand through his hair. He looked flustered as he sat down next to Wong. The tomatoes, onions, peppers laid forgotten on the cutting board with a few stray pieces decorating the floor.

“Yea, I uh- well -that was quite.”

Stephen stumbled over his words while Wong waited for him to collect his thoughts. But he stopped, and smiled a goofy smile, looking at him with sincerity. Wong wanted to roll his eyes, but held off. He reluctantly admitted to himself there was a charm to him, even if he wasn’t going to say it. However, there was no way he was going to show all his cards, especially since if he truly looked deep inside of himself, this scared him. It had been a long time since he had another person look at him the way Stephen looked at him now. Before it had been mostly of his own design, but now, he really didn't want to fuck this up.

He wasn’t going to think about that, not as Stephen leaned in once again to continue where they left off. Half of him wanted to put up his hand and place it on the man's chest to stop him, but he didn’t. Instead, he leaned in to it, bringing his hand up to cup Stephen’s face.

It was like they were two teens who couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and at one point they just had to stop because it was getting too sloppy, hot and heavy, and unbecoming of who Wong wanted to project himself. It was invigorating though, stimulating in all the right ways; Stephen was most into it as well.

Taking a deep breath, he was pretty sure he unintentionally was half glaring at this point, staring at Stephen’s slightly reddened mouth and unfocused eyes. He swallowed hard as he felt it was his turn to speak.

“I didn’t come for this.”

“If you did, it was the slowest game I’ve ever seen anyone have in the history of seduction techniques.”

He laughed in response. He deserved that.

“As I recall, you made the first move.”

“I guess I did,” Stephen replied with a big grin.

He leaned back onto the couch, looking at how pleased Stephen was with himself, and he smiled a small smile in return.

“It’s better if we don’t rush this. You’re the kind of guy who's alway thinking three steps ahead of what you're actually doing, like when you’re in the kitchen.”

“I want to make something special,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrow.

Wong rolled his eyes. Stephen could be so cheesy with his lines and jokes. It took a while to warm up to his humor, but eventually Wong came to appreciate it in his own way.

“Yea, I get it. Gotta slow down,” Stephen added quietly.

Even as he said it, his hand seemed to travel closer and closer to Wong’s leg. It’s intentions unknown, but Wong could guess it be up to no good if Wong let it.

“Dinner?” Wong asked in order to distract both of them.

“Hmmm, if you want.”

As they tried to salvage what they were making later, they both were hyper aware of each other's presence. Stephen continued to hover over Wong, until Wong nudge him away. They didn’t talk much before and while they were cooking. Only after they finished did they start to chat once again about nothing -about their day and their plans for the weekend. He couldn’t help but notice Stephen's eager glint in his eye when he asked if Wong was coming around tomorrow like normal. The affirmative answer Wong gave him changed the glint into a full blow sparkle, as silly as it seemed to him. Exchanges like the one they were having only happened like that to others.

Before he left, they kissed once again; for how long Wong couldn’t be sure. That night was harder for him to leave Stephen’s house than most other nights. Still, he was a man of his word, and he did want to take this slower than normal. It be a shame to waste a decent friendship on a burst of whatever they were feeling.

 

.oOo.

 

Moving day was finally upon them. All the boxes were lined up and stacked in the living room as if they were just the pieces of furniture in place of what had been thrown out already. Wong looked around the walls, still as pristine as the day he moved in, and he sighed. There would be no record of him ever being in the place except for a few pictures his friends and Stephen had taken over the years.

It was a new chapter in his life, and maybe it would be best not to dwell on the past too much.

Stephen looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face, as if to ask what he was waiting for. It had taken so long for them to get at this point, but it had all been worth it in the end. It felt like he was finally leaving to make a home of his own with someone else. The sensation might be odd, but it was better than him spending all of his time over at Stephen's anyways and letting his own home become neglected. Still the renters the owner had found seemed like good people, and he would be next door if he ever felt the need to visit. To others it may have sounded odd, but it gave him a great deal of comfort.

“Come on’. Let’s get going. Clea and Christine will be here to help out soon, and we don’t want them to do all the work,” Stephen teased.

“You’re not getting out of it that easy,” Wong replied, narrowing his eyes.

He repaid the smug look he got by grasping onto Stephen and pulling him closer, his mouth coming close to Stephen's ear.

“You’re going to have to pay me back ten fold later when they are all gone.”

“Oh? How am I going to do that per say?”

A tease, but Wong wouldn’t have it any other way.

As he let Stephen go and picked up a box, it seemed a lot lighter than after he had packed it. Stephen grabbed a few blankets before opening the door, and with a spring in Wong‘s step, they walked out the door together.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading ♡ Kuddos and comments are love.


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